Here ye! Here ye! Full Voting Congressional Representation for
the District is on the next biennial program of the U.S. League of Women Voters as
an added component of the Issue for Emphasis, Making Democracy Work: Seeking Change.

Dressed in white ankle length bloomers and white cotton blouse, Fran
Garros three cornered hat and Jean Flemings white sash with D.C. Last
Colony emblazoned in red, Luci Murphy became a Convention icon. Supported by
energetic strategist Elinor Hart and the D.C. delegation, Luci succeeded not only in
getting over the hurdle of converting our not-recommended item to
recommended for debate but in fact approved. You would not believe (you
would...) how much ignorance about D.C. exists in the country, in the League. Convention
delegates, reacting to Lucis appeal, agreed to pursue an educational effort to
acquaint all with the facts of our situation and the merits of our goal. By the end, their
support was overwhelming. Good thing! The next LWV Convention is in D.C. in 2000. Get
ready.

Hang on to it. Well be gearing up to make Leaguers really
politically correct. And dust off your old records, old pins, old sashes, etc.

Our euphoria is tempered by the fact that the push to get approval of a
re-study of selected aspects of the U.N. position failed, but only by a slim margin. The
U.N. Restudy Task Force did, however, succeed in getting the issue debated and voted on, a
more positive result than that generated by 96 Convention efforts.

It is anti-climactic to report on any other action at Convention,
although every hour of every day and evening was loaded. But for the record, we summarize
the action taken on the agenda and related activities. Look out for reporting in the National
Voter. Copies of significant items are filed in the office.

While not official action, the first big step was to get to
Convention. Weather knocked many delegates flight plans for a loop. Even Senator
Paul Wellstone (D-MN) did not make it to the opening ceremonies.

Day 1 was devoted to the organizing arrangements essential to
performing work. Caucuses commenced, as delegates lobbied others to vote on issues
important to them. Here is where Elinor Hart outshined all others in organizing.

On Day 2 we began the consideration of the proposed program for
1998-2000, proposed amendments to positions by concurrence, a rarely used process,
items Not-Recommended by the National Board, and the Boards Issue for Emphasis.
Discussion was vigorous on many Not-Recommended Items, and a number of votes were very
close. Out of nine such Items, four survived for the Consideration Debate (including our
U.N. re-study and the D.C. issue).

On Day 3 the current program positions were adopted with the addition
of consumer safety provisions on gun control. Still dressed in the afore-mentioned
costume, Luci delivered our motion #1464 that full voting Congressional
Representation for the District of Columbia be added as a component of MAKING DEMOCRACY
WORK [the proposed Issue for Emphasis], and debate followed. After Mary ODay
of North Carolina, complained about her Senator Faircloth and Congressman Taylor meddling
in D.C. politics when they should be representing her (and other North Carolinians), the
Convention voted to adopt the D.C. Amendment to Making Democracy Work: Seeking
Change. Thus amended, the body then voted to make this the 1998-2000 Issue for Emphasis.

Of three proposed by-law changes, one was adopted. It allows
inter-League organizations (ILO), like LWV/ NCA, along with state and local Leagues, to
make recommendations on program to LWVUS.

In addition to the plenary sessions, awards for work done to increase
diversity in leadership were made to the J.C. Penney Company and the YWCA. Guest speakers
included Dr. Freda Lewis Hall, former professor of psychiatry at Howard University, now
Director of the Center for Women's Health at Eli Lilly and Company; Bill Lann Lee, Acting
Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights; Anita Perez Ferguson, President of the
National Women's Political Caucus.

There were panel discussions and briefings on the budget, the Future
Plan, etc. Our liaison to the National Board, Barbara Foston, coordinated a panel on
diversifying membership. At this panel, Luci spoke on recruitment of youth (e.g., D.C.
Voters and Friends Coffeehouse). Other panelists addressed the recruitment of people of
color, men, and college chapter formation.

The next LWV Convention is in D.C. in 2000. Get ready.

Day 4 got down to the nitty-gritty of the budget for 1998-2000.
National proposed a Per-Member Payment (PMP) increase from $19.00 to 23.00 for 1999-2000,
the second year of the biennium. Delegates expressed concern about discouraging members
and driving out local leagues. Delegates approved a PMP of $21.00.

$2,623,109 was approved for the LWVUS budget. After the Convention,
Trustees of the Education Fund will consider a budget of $1,222,901 for the LWV's
Education Fund.

Final action included election of the new directors and nominating
committee members. We congratulate new officers, committee members and especially our
board liaison, Barbara Foston, now 2nd vice president, and President Carolyn
Jefferson-Jenkins. The new president delivered an inspiring acceptance speech...especially
poignant because her mother had died just after the start of the Convention. The last item
on the agenda was an invitation by Luci Murphy for LWVDC, and Naomi Glass for LWV/NCA to
all of the delegates to join us in Washington for Convention in the year 2000.

I have had a very difficult time trying to decide what to talk about
with you today. As you know, this is an unusual situation for me; I am rarely at a loss
for something to say! I think my difficulty is two-fold.

This is my last opportunity to address you as your national president
and words seem to fall short in describing my honor in the privilege of serving you over
the past six years. It has been a personal joy. I have learned and grown in ways that will
enrich the rest of my life. My experiences as your president have also confirmed, over and
over again, the merit of the League of Women Voters and the vital role we play in our
nations civic life.

I am filled with extreme pride in all that we have accomplished
together  we have totally changed the process and philosophy of the voter
registration system in this country with the passage and implementation of the National
Voter Registration Act. We redirected the debate in Congress on campaign finance reform to
address practical solutions to the most egregious practices of the 1996 election. We
designed and implemented nationwide a campaign  Making Democracy Work  to
focus our energies on a measurable, results-oriented program that could lead the country
in massive changes to diminish citizen cynicism and apathy. We retooled the Education Fund
with a strategic plan, VISION 2000, that provides the access, skills, and motivation
needed to empower citizens to shape better communities worldwide. The new tools include
strategic, research driven, grassroots get-out-the-vote organizing; new technologies such
as video conferencing and the internet; community dialogues to bring stakeholders to the
table to seek solutions for the common good; and programs designed to encourage women and
minorities to run for public office.. To ensure the resources necessary to carry out the
VISION 2000 strategic plan, we undertook a major capital campaign, the first of its kind
in twenty-five years. We set the League on a path of inclusion, both in this programming
and membership, by adopting and implementing a diversity plan of action. We completed an
assessment of who we are and where we want to be by initiating the Future Plan

On the other hand, while I am filled with pride as I reflect on the
challenges we have met and faced together, at the same time, I am wistful about the
challenges that still face us. In my 1993 Council remarks when talking about charting the
League's path to the future by renewing and retooling it for the 21st Century, I told the
delegates that equipping ourselves for the future won't be easy. Decisions will be
made and then revised or even reversed. Misunderstanding will be frequent; inconsistency
is inevitable. Completing one task will only make the next task more urgent: inside of
every solution will be the seeds of new problems. Boy, did I get that right!

In that same 93 Council presentation I asked, What is the LWV about?
I then went on to answer the question. We are about citizen participation in
democracy. We advocate and educate for it, in this country and wherever democracy is
emerging. The easiest way for citizens to participate is to register and vote. So that is
central to our mission. But as we all know, democracy doesn't end with voting. Our
representative democracy relies on an informed and ever active citizenry. To that end, we
also empower our members to participate in the debate on public policy issues by joining
together with others to advocate solutions in the public interest, and we empower members
of the general public by providing information on issues and opportunities for community
problem solving. We believe in the empowerment of the grassroots and the power of
collective decision making for the common good. At the core of our education and advocacy
activities, whether they be at the national, state or local level, whether they relate to
government, national resources, social policy, or international relations issues, is the
principle of empowering citizens to participate  to play an active role in the
public policy debate and in creating the common good. We are in the business of building
citizen participation in democracy  whether it be by advocating solutions in the
public interest, or by educating citizens on key public policy issues so they can enter
the debate, or enabling citizens to seek positive solutions to issues through conflict
management. Our goal, our mission, is citizen participation in government regardless of
the issues we choose or the methods we use.

So why do we keep asking and answering that same question? Continuing
to ask and answer that question is a very healthy exercise for the organization. It keeps
us focused on where we want to go  on the greater end we are seeking to achieve
 on the reason we need a League of Women Voters. It allows us to make change without
letting the means triumph over the ends.

The League Way is not the safe way,... it is asking the right
questions, collectively seeking the answers, and then, most importantly, having the
courage to soar.

We have been asking the right questions and putting into place
processes to collectively answer them. We have in many cases even developed strategies for
revitalizing the League. All necessary steps but they are just that, steps, and frankly,
easy steps. The next step  actually doing what is necessary to implement our
strategies  has been the hardest one for us to take. How we handle the next step in
our revitalization will determine whether we merely fly or whether we soar. We can choose
to fly like a bird and get some forward movement with relative ease and safety or we can
choose to soar like an eagle, thereby placing the LWV in its rightful place as the
spirited, dynamic political organization that ensures the continued vitality of our
political system.

What enables the eagle to soar is its willingness to leave the safety
of the ground and take-off from the edge of the cliff.

Our challenge will be to leave the safety of the ground, The
so-called League way, for the edge of the cliff. Our history tells us that our
predecessors have repeatedly met that challenge. We were founded as a national
organization, a federation of leagues. We went to the cliff and became a grassroots
organization. We adopted our first program positions without study and consensus. We went
to the cliff and set up an every-member process for study and consensus. If our
organizational history teaches us any thing, it is that the League Way is not
the safe way, it is not the easy way, it is not the tools we use to accomplish our
mission, it is not serving the current institutional norms. The League Way is
asking the right questions, collectively seeking the answers, and then, most importantly,
having the courage to soar.

I believe our future depends on our ability to work together out of
respect for each other and our common goal, our mission, to increase and diversify our
membership and enhance our grassroots organizing activities. All speak to the need to
renew, replenish, and support ourselves and each other in order to renew the League of
Women Voters. None of this is new to the League. It is not the first time we have been to
this precipice.

We have taken all the right steps to place us at the edge of the cliff.
Will we let inaction and self-doubt keep us from spreading our wings or will we do it the
League Way?

Will we muster the collective courage to spread our wings and take the
necessary leap of faith and trust in ourselves and each other that will allow the League
of Women Voters to soar?

As I leave the presidency, I have wrestled with what I might be able to
leave with you. But what could I possibly give to you? Everything I have to offer you, you
have given to me. When I went to my first League meeting, I looked around the room and
said to myself, This is the kind of woman I want to be. Thank you for sharing
your knowledge, your expertise, and your skills with me. Thank you for giving me the
opportunity, as your national president, to use what you have taught me.

A general meeting was held at Sumner School May 20, 1998, with our
treasurer Naomi Glass presiding as president of LWV/NCA. About 20 people attended a lively
discussion of The Financial Crisis in the District of Columbia.

Characteristics peculiar to the city of D.C. were pointed out: our
inability to tax income at its source, a city with state financial responsibilities,
restrictions on the ability to collect sales taxes, a high percent of property exempt from
taxation, a prohibition on building height over a specified number of floors, a
requirement to assume costs accruing from the federal presence, and an unfunded pension
liability. As a result, the income tax on city residents is higher than that in
surrounding areas.

Revitalization legislation enacted by Congress will assume some state
functions. Medicaid reimbursement although raised from 50% to 70% is still less than that
granted to some states, and some cities provide no local contribution. With assumption of
the pension liability, the federal government also assumes assets. Those hired after June
1997 will be in a local pension plan. About 60% of D.C. employees until 1985 had been
under federal pension plans. Tax incentives have not yet proved as beneficial. Georgetown
and GW University neighborhoods qualified as poverty areas.

Number of years of eligibility for the tax incentives has not been
determined. Federal contribution is no longer obligatory although originally not
considered a reimbursement for state functions. Management reform (Control Board) was also
part of the legislation.

Questions were raised. If federal government supports public schools in
areas with large military bases, why not those for D.C., too? Can we ask Control Board to
publicize its accomplishments? Is there baseline data so that the effect of
Revitalization legislation can be measured? Can the good financial status of
98 be continued? When agencies are returned to D.C. management, will conditions be
such that similar problems do not recur?

Suggestions for LWV/NCA future plans were put forward. Look at proposed
budgets 5 years out. Determine reaction of MD and VA to taxing income at the source.
Educate about D.C. budget. Study ways to get Congressional representation. Compare federal
districts of other countries with D.C. Study economic relationship of surrounding regions
with core cities.

U.N. Conference: September 14-16, 1998
The Annual Conference in New York for nongovernmental organizations (NGO) sponsored by the
U.N. Department of Public Information (DPI) will take place September 14-16, 1998.
Registration deadline, 7/24/98. Info: Sheila Keeny 202/347-3020.

After hearing Professor Jamin Raskin of the Washington College of Law
at American University speak at Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Nortons meeting for
D.C. residents, the League of Women Voters of D.C. contacted him in preparation for the
LWVUS convention. He offered a copy of his article, Is This America? The District of
Columbia and the Right to Vote, which is published by the Harvard Civil Rights
and Civil Liberties Law Review. He also asked if the League of Women Voters of the
District of Columbia might be a plaintiff in any court challenge. The LWVDC board
considered the request and delegated responsibility for a decision to the Executive
Committee. After a careful reading of the legal article the committee voted unanimously to
join the suit.

To keep the LWVUS informed our liaison was notified of our decision.
She requested that the League lawyer review the article and its intent. After doing so Mr.
Lloyd Leonard gave the LWVDC his full support and thought that the LWVUS would also
endorse our decision. At Convention 98 it did just that.

The firm of Covington and Burling, which will argue the case, has
decided as of this Voter deadline that no organization will be a plaintiff 
only individuals, some of whom will be LWVDC officers.

A copy of Professor Raskins article is in the LWVDC office for
anyone who wishes to read it.

In Is This America? Professor Raskin argues that the
Districts present situation violates the Constitution in the following ways 
one person, one vote; the First Amendment right to run for state legislature; an
Uncomfortable resemblance to political apartheid; a burden on the right to
travel and move freely within the U.S.; state taxes, similar to poll taxes, imposed; and
full voting rights for citizens living abroad but not those of D.C.

Without Congressional representation a political solution is
improbable, but the Court can declare the present D.C. condition unconstitutional.

He argues that the Constitution does apply in the District. Previous
litigation has failed because it had focused on taxation without representation or the
constitutionality of un-elected local bodies. The Control Board violates one person-one
vote. D.C. citizens are U.S. citizens. Specifically, he cites decisions to support his
contention that Congressional representation is a right of the people, not the states;
District residents are part of the people; D.C. is not a territory: it is the
seat of government and pays federal taxes; residents of federal enclaves other than D.C.
have full voting rights; without Congressional representation D.C. residents lack a vote
in its equivalent to a state legislature. Disenfranchisement of the heavily minority D.C.
population resembles apartheid: suburban legislators' questionable comments reflect a
white majority and neglect, not action. To retain the right to vote, D.C. citizens would
need to move from the District; therefore, to sell a home becomes comparable to poll tax.
Unlike other citizens who live overseas or retain a residency outside of D.C., those who
live in D.C. have no representation.

He answers reservations urged as the basis for denying voting to D.C.:
the lack of diversity of population, the District clause of the Constitution, the
Electoral College voting as a substitute, District representatives as too parochial,
Congress as the sole arbiter.

Possible Congressional remedies are enfranchisement of District
residents comparable to that accorded citizens living abroad, statehood, or reunion with
Maryland.  Kathy Schmidt

The D.C. League WISE GUIDE  an indispensable compilation of
information about District Government  is being updated. The new edition includes a
listing of elected officials with phone numbers as well as information about the Control
Board, ANC details, voting registration information and election dates, phone numbers of
many city offices and agencies and other pertinent information to help District residents
as they navigate the city.

The GUIDE will be printed by mid-July and distributed at libraries,
churches, schools, MOVC and other candidates meetings and supermarkets.

Many thanks to Jeanette Miller, Liz Martin and Lillian Rubin for
updating the D.C. GUIDE. It was a time-consuming task to verify the telephone numbers and
to check the myriad of details. And thanks to June Duke for her typing and keen eye for
detail.  Liz Martin

On June 5, the James MacGregor Burns Academy of Leadership, University
of Maryland, sponsored a meeting on Leadership for a New Century, at the
Washington Press Club. Anna Marsh and Barbara Yeomans were privileged to represent LWVDC
at this prestigious meeting, the first conference of the Academy. About 200 attended, with
the numbers swelling for the luncheon address by former senator Bill Bradley. LWVUS
President Becky Cain was on a panel. Professor Burns, the eminent American scholar and
Pulitzer-prize-winning author, also served on a panel. Your representatives found the day
totally stimulating and include the agenda (below) to give an idea of the range of
participants.

This Voter could only include brief biographies for
participants. A full copy of Biographies is available, as is a Summary
Statement of Becky Cain on Charting Health of American Democracy, the focus of
her remarks on the panel, which drew on Making Democracy Work. We were pleased
to become aware of the leadership in and around Washington, and hope to contact them in
the future.  Barbara Yeomans for Anna Marsh

James MacGregor Burns Academy of Leadership, Leadership for a
New Century meeting, June 5, 1998 (addendum to D.C. Affairs Committee report)

Welcome by Georgia Sorenson (served in Carter White House and Senator
Bradleys staff);

Informing Citizens: Democracy and the Media; led by Tom Rosenstiel, Project for
Excellence in Journalism (Pew Charitable Trust) and Paul Taylor, founder and Director,
Alliance for Better Campaigns.

Taking the Money Out of Politics: A View from the States, led by Ric Bainter, National
Civic League and Becky Cain.

Luncheon address by Bill Bradley, with introductory remarks by Dean
Irwin Goldstein, College of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Univ. of Maryland.

Afternoon Panel on Do Local Initiatives Matter? Moderator: Chris Gates,
National Civic League Panelists: Bobby Austin, President and CEO, Village Foundation;
Becky Cain; Carolyn Lukensmeyer, Executive Director of Americans Discuss Social Security
and the founder and former Executive Director of America Speaks (former
Clinton/Gore White House); Michael Sanchez, co-founder and President of Do
Something; and Rev. Jim Wallace, co-founder of Sojourners Community in inner-city
D.C. and Editor-in- Chief of Sojourners magazine.

Afternoon Breakout Sessions:

Enhancing Democratic Participation: The Role of Technology, led by Shabbir Safar and
Jonah Seiger, co-founders of Mindshare Internet Campaigns, and (Mr.) Tracy Westen, founder
and President, Center for Governmental Studies and teacher in USC Annenberg School for
Communications and UCLA Law School

Race and Participation, led by Mayor David Harrington (Bladensburg) and Associate
Director for Programs and the James MacGregor Burns Academy of Leadership; Martha McCoy,
Executive Director, Study Circles Resource Center of the Topsfield Foundation; and Lisa
Sullivan, Fellowship Development Consultant for the Next Generation Leadership (NGL)
Program of the Rockefeller Foundation.

The Education Committee has begun its unit to give support to D.C.
public junior high and middle school social studies teachers. We have met a contact
teacher at 22 schools. Our work has been supported by Roceal Duke, the Social Studies
Contact Leader for DCPS. We have submitted to the contact teachers for criticisms prepared
packets. Included were The Constitution of the United States with the five
amendments relevant to voting rights highlighted, Elections 1998: District of Columbia
Candidate Qualification and Ballot Access Guide. The LWVDC prepared To
Vote, a list of five possible classroom activities, a voter registration form for
practice use in the classroom, and the Elections Scheduled through 2000.

We are comparing teacher reactions. Over the summer we have gathered
requested materials for interested teachers in anticipation of their use in September
before the primary election. If you are interested in helping with this project, call
Kathy Schmidt (202/347-3020).  Education Committee

Private Elections were busy earning income for the League during the month of May. On
May 18th, Ethel Cooper, Mary Drob, Jennie Elliott, Anna Marsh and Fran Garro counted
election results for the National Association for Bilingual Education. On May 21st, Audry
Hatry, Lois Laster and Elizabeth (Reggie) Yancey did the same for the Consumer Health
Foundation election of Trustees. The League benefits by nearly $3000.00. Many thanks are
extended to all who helped.  Louise Perry, Private Elections Chair

The focus for the second year of the NCA Study on D.C. will be
determined by the Study Committee on July 14. The second year of the Study takes on added
significance in light of the National Leagues decision to make Full Voting
Representation in Congress part of its two-year Issue for Emphasis. Join us at 7 p.m. at
the Martin Luther King, Jr. Library.  Elinor Hart

Everyone who is part of the Making Our Votes Count Project is excited
about the creative and successful fundraising efforts of the Chevy Chase Unit.
Congratulations to Sue Whitman and her team who managed to make parting with money so
enjoyable. We are very grateful and promise to spend the money effectively.

For the first time in several years, the D.C. League is part of a
Get-Out-The-Vote Project which was launched on the 21st of June at the annual Celebrate
Mt. Pleasant Festival. As a result of the vigorous effort coordinated by new League
member, Kelly Young, 80 new voters were registered. The effort doesnt stop there.
Each new registrant will have to be called before election day. And contacting these
registrants, plus others the project will be registering in the coming weeks, needs person
power. If you can help with a phone bank, call the League to volunteer.

From the President: Annual Convention, May 16, 1998. National Press Club

Following a buffet breakfast, NCA President Naomi Glass called the
meeting to order. The Guest Speaker was Roland C. Steiner of the Interstate Commission of
the Potomac River Basin (ICPRB). The ICPRB is an agency with five commissioners (one from
each of five states  Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland Virginia, and the
District of Columbia), and one commissioner from the U.S. Government. It disseminates
information gathered from studies but has no jurisdiction. Mr. Steiner was generous in his
answers to questions from delegates. Questions included: (1) Children's Island 
ICPRB provided decision support, technical support, but never took a stand, (2) Safe
drinking water  involved in studies and bringing consistency among the constituents,
(3) Stream set-backs  each jurisdiction has its own definition; ICPRB supplies
information on vegetation for nutrients and shade, (4) Biggest problem  human
impact, and (5) Quality of drinking water  regulated by end product (no taste or
odor criteria.

The minutes of the 1997 meeting were read, corrected and accepted.
Louise Perry and Agnes Williams were appointed to the Reading Committee. Committee reports
were made by Bob Perry (Water Resources) and D.C. Finances. Howard County requested that
D.C. Finances be revisited continually.

Just over two years ago, I reported in The DC Voter on the work
of the Lobby Corps, 1993-1995. In the January 1996 Voter I observed that the Corps
has been especially active supporting health care reform, campaign finance reform,
and a ban on assault weapons and opposing a balanced budget constitutional
amendment, term limits, anti- regulatory legislation, the Istook Amendment to silence
non-profit community, and attempts to undermine Motor Voter (National Voter Registration
Act).

While many of these issues are still with us, new ones have emerged as
well. The following passages from President Becky Cain's letters, addressed to Senators
and House members and carried to the Hill by the Lobby Corps, illustrate the
Lobby Corps continuing role in realizing the National Program of the LWV:

Campaign Finance Reform Legislation, H.R. 2566 (Jan. 1996). The LWV urges
you to cosponsor H.R. 2566, the campaign reform legislation introduced by Representatives
Smith, Shays, and Meehan. Congress must act to restore public confidence in our political
system. The public knows that special interests dominate in paying for congressional
elections.

Term Limits Constitutional Amendments (Mar. 1996). We oppose congressional
term limits for one basic reason  term limits interfere with the fundamental right
of voters to elect their own representatives.... We believe that voters can be trusted to
elect their representatives without government stepping in to regulate their
choices.

Campaign Finance Reform (Apr. 1996). The LWV urges you to sign H. Res. 373,
the petition to discharge the rule to consider campaign finance reform legislation. We
would also urge you to consider H.R. 2566.... Congress must act to restore public
confidence in our political system.... The public knows that the current campaign finance
system is unfair.... It is time for the politicians to respond to the needs of the public.
It is time for Congress to act.

H.R. 3760, The Campaign Finance Reform Act of 1996 (Jul. 1996). The LWV
strongly urges you to oppose H.R. 3760, the Campaign Finance Reform Act of 1996,
sponsored by Representative Bill Thomas (RCA). We believe this bill is a fraud. It flies
in the face of what citizens say they want to change about the way campaigns are
financed.... It is time for politicians to respond to the needs of the public. This
legislation responds to the needs of politicians. We urge you to vote against H.R.
3760.

S. 356, The Language of Government Act (Sep. 1996). The LWV strongly urges
you to oppose S. 356, the Language of Government Act, or similar English Only
legislation during the remaining weeks of this Congress. These ill-advised initiatives
would effectively repeal the minority language provisions of the Voting Rights Acts....
The LWV believes it would be a grave mistake for this Congress to turn its back on the
traditional commitment to making voting accessible to all American citizens.

Balanced Budget Constitutional Amendment (Feb. 1997). The LWV urges you to
oppose the constitutional amendment to require a balanced federal budget. This amendment
is a dangerous and misleading proposal. It would eliminate important flexibility in U.S.
fiscal policy and would permanently allow a minority of Congress to control the federal
budget.... The League shares public concerns about the federal deficit. Current deficit
reduction plans are on the right track.... We strongly urge you to oppose this dangerous,
quick-fix proposal.

The Chemical Weapons Convention (Mar. 1997). The LWV urges the Senate to
expeditiously ratify the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) without killer amendments or
conditions. The League believes that the Senates failure to act before the treaty
takes effect on April 29 would adversely affect U.S. national security and damage American
economic interests.... Senate approval of this landmark treaty is long overdue.

Clean Air Standards (Apr. 1997). The LWV of the U.S. urges you to support
EPAs proposal to strengthen the national ambient air quality standards for ozone and
particulates.... The real issue is about setting national health standards that guarantee
that no matter where one lives, the air will not endanger one's life. A vote against the
standards is a vote against protecting the health of our elderly and our children.

Hatch-Kennedy Children's Health Insurance Act (May 1997). The LWV urges you
to join with Senators Orrin Hatch. . .and Edward Kennedy. . .to sponsor and support the
CHILD Act, S. 525 and its companion bill, S. 526.We are deeply concerned about
the 10 million American children who live day-to- day without health insurance... [We]
believe that breadth of coverage is the true test of the humanity of our health care
system.

Campaign Fmance Reform in the 105th Congress (Jun. 1997). The 1996 campaign
saw an explosion in the use of loopholes to get around election laws, undermining basic
protections against corruption that have been in place for decades.... Now we are facing a
scandal, with almost daily revelations of improper activities by presidential and
congressional candidates and by both major political parties.... The League of Women
Voters urges you to support an effective package of incremental reforms to the campaign
finance system.

H.R. 1428, the Horn Bill and Voter Eligibility Verification Act (Feb. 1998).
H.R. 1428, introduced by Rep. Steve Horn (R-CA), is expected to come to the floor
soon again for a vote.... The Horn bill would establish an unworkable, unnecessary federal
program that would allow participating states to discriminate against voters. The League
of Women Voters urges you to oppose this proposal if it comes to the floor again for
consideration.... Under H.R. 1428, the time required to process names and allow voters
whose names are returned unconfirmed to effectively respond makes a mockery of
registration deadlines and imposes an overwhelming burden on the right to vote.

United Nations Funding (Mar. 1998). The LWV urges you to support full
payment of U.S. arrears to the United Nations. The United States currently owes the U.N.
more than $1 billion in arrears. Failure to pay our arrears is jeopardizing not only the
financial viability of the U.N., but also the credibility and vital interests of the
United States around the globe.... Our failure to pay our legal treaty obligations is
threatening the financial viability of the U.N. and is seriously undermining our
international credibility.

S. 1890, the Patients Bill of Rights Act of 1998 (Apr. 1998). The LWV
urges your support for S. 1890, the Patients Bill of Rights Act of 1998. The
League strongly supports Congressional efforts to promote a health care system that
focuses on patients, not their pocketbooks.... We believe that the Patients Bill of
Right Act...provides much needed basic protections and legal rights for health care plan
participants.

The Shays-Meehan Campaign Finance Reform Bill (May 1998). The LWV strongly
urges you to vote for H.R. 3526, the bipartisan Shays-Meehan campaign finance reform,
without amendment.... The integrity of our election system and the confidence of the
American people in their government is being substantially eroded by the current campaign
finance system, particularly the corrupt soft money system and the sham issue advocacy
loophole. The bipartisan Shays- Meehan bill (H.R. 3526) deals in effective and realistic
ways with these twin problems.

According to the Washington Times, June 22, 1998, eligible
voters may register to vote on a new website, sponsored by District-based MCI
Communications Corporation, the American Association of Retired Persons and the Rock the
Vote initiative. The site  http://netvote98.mci.com
 providesa registration form for prospective voters and was launched at
a news conference on June 23rd at the downtown Hard Rock Cafe.

Mark your calendars for two Making Our Votes Count (MOVC) Candidate
Forums this month. The mayoral forum will be July 21. At-Large and Council Chair
Candidates will make their cases on July 28. Both forums will be at Christ United
Methodist Church, 900 Fourth Street, SW (corner of 4th and Eye) and will start at 7 p.m.
Author and journalist Jonetta Rose Barras, will moderate both forums.

The MOVC project is collecting issues and questions from around the
city and will be having an open meeting July 9 (7:00 p.m. at the Reeves Center) to decide
the content of the questions for the forums. For the forums, there is free and low cost
parking available near the church. The location is near the Waterfront Metro Station on
the Green Line.

The D.C. League's office move is planned for July 7. The new
office will be located at: 1234 Massachusetts Avenue, NW Suite 208. Washington, D.C.
20005. The new phone number will be: 202/347-3020. Fax: 202/3472522. Metro stops for the
new address are McPherson Square (Blue/Orange Line 3 blocks) and Metro Center (Blue/Orange
or Red Line, 5 blocks). Also, the new location will be five blocks from LWVUS offices.

Thanks to member Alisa Wilkins and friend the League, Lance Ford, who
helped us with the lease.

Mark your calendars now for the Annual Luncheon, Thursday,
September 17, 1998 (noon). The guest speaker will be Professor Jamin Raskin of the
Washington College of Law at American University. See above to
learn more about Professor Raskin, his article, Is This America? The District of
Columbia and the Right to Vote, and his effort to spur acknowledgement of D.C.
residents right to one person, one vote.

The DC Voter is a monthly publication of the League of Women
Voters of the District of Columbia. It is available either through membership
($40.00/year) or through direct subscription ($10.00 per year). President, Luci Murphy,
Treasurer, Naomi Glass; Editor, Virginia Spatz (email: vspatz@access.digex.net).
LWVDC, 2025 Eye Street, NW, Washington, DC 20006. 202/331-4122. Fax: 202/331-4196.
Website: http://www.capaccess.org/lwvdc
E-mail: voters1@capaccess.org.